Early Years Pupil Premium - Spending Guidance

Guidance on how you plan to spend EYPP, Case Studies and FAQs for both Parents and Providers

How to plan spending your EYPP funding

Take the time to:

Observe children during play and daily routines
Note how they interact with peers and adults
Speak with the child's key person for insights
Involve parents/carers
Review documentation
Compare current observations with earlier assessments to see if any gaps in learning are identified
Identify Strengths and Needs
Highlight areas where the child does well
Pinpoint areas that require further support
Plan Next Steps
Once you have a shared understanding of the children's strengths and needs, identify the areas you want to prioritise and decide on how to spend the funding.

Focus Form

Use this EYPP Focus Form (Word doc, 34 KB) to help you plan how to spend the funding.

Please remember if EYPP is received, it must be used to enhance the experience of the child by improving the teaching and learning, facilities, and/or resources, so that there is a positive impact to their progress and development. It cannot be used to contribute towards additional childcare sessions.

Helpful guidance

DfE - early-years-pupil-premium-guide-for-local-authorities/early-years-pupil-premium-guide-for-local-authorities

Education Endowment Foundation - Guide to Pupil Premium including Evidence informed approaches, Myth Busting and Resources and tools.

Gov EYPP information - https://www.gov.uk/get-extra-early-years-funding

Case Study 1 - Maths Champions

Staff at a large day nursery identify early maths as a priority for their disadvantaged children. They decide to sign up to the Maths Champions programme, whose positive impact for disadvantaged children is well-evidenced. They use some EYPP funding to secure release time for two staff members. They use this time to participate in Maths Champions training and follow up meetings, and to work together on a strong plan for embedding the programme in nursery practice.

Case Study 2 - Childminder collaboration

Members of a local childminder network agree to use a small proportion of their EYPP funding to cover their time working together on a joint approach.

Case Study 3 - Extra staff

We put the EYPP money towards paying for an additional staff member (we have 5 staff instead of 4 working with the children). We do this at both settings; and by ensuring we are well staffed, it enables us to carry out additional activities daily and to deliver social interaction groups twice a day.

We believe that is what makes the difference to our more vulnerable children the opportunity to have quality interactions and access to additional activities, designed to support their S&L and learning and development, daily.

The EYPP money doesn't cover the additional staff members wage completely, we cover the shortfall, but we believe it's money well spent and certainly good use of the EYPP funds received per child.

The impact - our children do make progress in their learning and development, and they are supported to become school ready and prepared for their next steps. We can offer our EYPP children learning opportunities through extended activities, which would otherwise not be available to them.

Case Study 4 - Professional development and healthy eating

Money has been spent supporting five children on:

Quality Interactions - to include C&L training, Signalong
Effective Professional Development- including training through face to face training, webinars, time to research and discuss with their staff peers.
Healthy Eating - researching sensory food education, purchase new resources, review cooking activities, develop resource to share with parents.

Impact

Healthy eating - All staff have been involved in the actions above and therefore, all have implemented this into everyday routines and practice. Lunch and snack times are daily opportunities to discuss healthy choices, and the children can identify healthy options in their lunch boxes. The sensory food education project has been very successful and enjoyed by both staff and children alike. It has had a significant impact on children eligible for EYPP. Children in receipt of funding have been very engaged and has been able to use and repeat the new language he has learnt during these activities to demonstrate his knowledge of different fruits and vegetables. They have also engaged enthusiastically in the activities, and although less keen to try all the foods, have still been keen to join in due to no pressure to try food items. The activities have introduced new vocabulary and given time to talk and share ideas in small groups so not only supporting the understanding and curiosity of healthy foods but also given opportunities for communication and language development

Quality interactions - A member of staff attended the advanced core communication champion training as she is already our nominated communication champion in the setting. The additional training gave her the confidence to produce a 7 week activity plan based on our children's needs and the support they require to make progress with their communication and language skills.

This member of staff already held a lunchtime language group time. The consistency of the member of staff and the additional knowledge she gained led to improvements over the term for children. By the end of the term, they was regularly happy to join in with the activities and able to focus for a greater time.

The gentle implementation of supporting HS through signing also brought some positive and rewarding results.

Parent FAQs

Will I receive the funding?

No, the funding goes to your childcare provider. They will use it to further improve your child's education.

Can I use EYPP for extra sessions?

No, it cannot be used to contribute to additional childcare sessions.

Will other parents know my child gets EYPP?

Your information will remain confidential. All childcare providers and schools have a Confidentiality Policy.

What happens if my financial situation changes?

Once your child is eligible for EYPP, they will remain so until the end of their early education entitlement, regardless of any change in your circumstances.

Will this affect my benefits? No, claiming the EYPP will not affect your benefits because it is paid directly to your early years provider.

Provider FAQs

How to promote this funding opportunity to your families?

It is recommended during your registration process that the extra funding opportunities are highlighted to families (EYPP & DAF). Information can be found in the Parent / Carer Booklet (PDF, 388 KB) and Part 1 (PDF, 299 KB) of the claim form.

How do I know which children are in receipt of EYPP and how much they are receiving?

You can view how many children are in receipt of EYPP by looking at the summary tab on the portal, this tab will also tell you how much money will be paid. To find out which child(ren) this funding is attributed to, a weighting (EYPP) will be denoted on the child's funding record (Actuals tab).

How often do we receive EYPP funding?

Termly, as indicated on your payments.

How long are children eligible for EYPP?

Once a child is eligible, they remain so until their early education ceases.

Can I use the funding to offer additional childcare sessions?